The Cat Came Back
by America's Crazy Cats
Summary: 8 years after the Oto incident, and everything is going well... Right? Wrong. There's a spy in Konoha, and they just brought an unwanted tragedy to the village. And now, someone has to make sure none of this. Ever. Happened. SasuNaru Fem!Naru Discontinued
1. Prologue

**Feel free to attack me. I've just added yet another to my seemingly endless pile of fics without an actual first chapter. **

**This is one of the few that can currently be posted out of my... seventy fics?**

**Right. I don't own Naruto!**

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** The Cat Came Back; Prologue**

Kakashi stared sadly down at his fallen student. He knew who did this, and it hurt. He slowly knelt down and picked up the unconscious form of Naruto, grabbing the other Konoha forehead protector with a slash through the middle as he stood. He looked to the trees for a moment before closing his one visible eye and sighing, jumping back up onto the cliff and beginning the long trek back to Konoha.

From one of the larger trees, the figure of a teenage girl stood, a small fang peeking from her lips as she watched the Jonin run back to the large village. She looked behind her as her long, dark hair fell to frame her face as she stared after the now out-of-sight Uchiha. She gave a sigh. "Why did he choose _now _of all times?" She asked her self wearily, putting a hand to her head as she crouched on the branch. "Fucking Uchiha, and his fucking pride." She closed her silver eyes, disappearing in a swirl of blue flower petals.

---

_Flashback_

A figure appeared with a swirl of flowers, kneeling down in front of her superiors desk as she kept her head down. "Hai, Hokage-sama?" She asked as she raised her head slightly, looking into the eyes of the Hokage as his eyes showed his obvious hurt.

"How... Why..." He gave a sigh, shaking the blond locks on his head as he rubbed his forehead. "How could he have killed him...? After all this time... Why did it have to be _then_...?" The girls eyes softened and she stood, her long ponytail brushing against the ground as she did so.

She walked over and put a hand to the Hokage's back, pulling him into a hug. "It's OK, Naruto. We're still here for you, even if that _snake _took him away. We won't ever leave you." She silently cried to herself for her, now dead, comrade and friend. Her little brother's fiancé that was killed because of _that man_. "We'll find him. And we'll avenge Sasuke."

He pulled away from her and looked her right in the eyes. "No," She blinked. "We'll keep this entire thing from happening."

She stared in confusion for a moment before gasping in shock. "N-Naruto-kun, you don't mean _that _jutsu, do you?!" She stepped back, wringing her hands together nervously. He nodded grimly, staring at the ground as he closed his eyes and shook his head again, mouthing a 'yeah, I do.' as he placed a hand over his eyes. Her eyes darkened and she looked to the ground as well. "Who all is going...?" She asked blankly, her silver eyes void of any emotion except worry and sadness.

"Actually," She looked up at him. "I was thinking about sending you, Aoi-neechan." She blinked again as she stared at him blankly.

"WHAT??!?!?!!?!"

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**Eh heh... Right. Prologue that only took me about a half an hour to write...**

**Yeah. I'm crazy.**

**Oh, and it might take a little while to get the first actual chapter out. Sorry 'bout that.  
**

**Bye, and please review!**


	2. A New Identity

**Yo! I'm back! And with more brain rotting stories!**

**It has been decided; This is going to be a Fem-Naru.**

**Everyone say thanks to my great Beta/ friend, AkemixHanako! Aka, Akemi-chan!**

**Also, the title was inspired by this years NekoCon name. The theme was zombies, because it was NekoCon 10, and everybody knows cats only have nine lives.**

**Anyway, disclaimer! Come!**

**Disclaimer; The Crazy Evil Akatsuki Neko does not own Naruto or any other anime she may mention during the span of this story.**

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**Chapter one; A New Identity**

_Aoi POV_

I clutched my head and slowly opened my eyes. I quickly closed one again as something wet hit it. "It's raining..." I said slowly as I sat up, looking at the dark gray clouds above me, a smile making its way to my lips. "Good."

I stood and tried to remember how I had gotten outside. I sighed as I stood, looking over to a small lake nearby.

Then I remembered.

Standing on the tree branch, not being able to move to help Naruto through the entire battle. Watching people stare at him like he was a monster when he was little. And then nothing. "The jutsu... It made me_see_ the things as I went into their time period...?"

_Normal POV_

Itachi and Sasuke stared at the strange brunette with the excessively long ponytail as they blinked.

"Aniki, who's that?" The young Sasuke asked, as he stared around Itachi's shoulder.

"I... have no idea..." Itachi stated, as he narrowed his eyes slightly as the girl looked around.

She seemingly noticed them, as she turned and stared straight at them. She grinned and waved at them happily. "Oi! Do you guys know where the hell I am?"

Itachi face faulted, nearly falling over as Sasuke held on to his shoulders, trying not to fall off. '_What is she, some kind of baka?!_'

He then decided it best to put Sasuke on the ground, in case he really did fall over from this girl's idiocy. Sasuke looked at him confusedly, before gaining an understanding expression, a sweat drop forming.

"You didn't answer me..."

Sasuke jumped, watching as Itachi stared at the girl, who had appeared next to them. He noticed she was around his aniki's age as she cocked her head to the side.

Itachi rubbed his eyes, figuring out that she was probably a ninja as well. Most likely a Chunin given her appearance, although he didn't see a Hitai-ate anywhere on her person. "What? Did you randomly walk here and not notice your surroundings?" He asked as he stopped rubbing his eyes to stare at her.

She blinked, putting a hand to her chin as she looked up again. "Uh... Sure, let's go with that." She grinned again, looking around. She saw Itachi smile at Sasuke, who smiled back.

"Oh, I'm Ame by the way. It's nice to meet you, uh..." She took in their clothing and nodded to herself. "Uchiha-sans."

Itachi nodded slightly, confused by this very random girl.

Sasuke stepped up next to Itachi and grabbed his hand. "I'm Sasuke, and this is my aniki, Itachi!" He said happily as he tugged on the older boys hand.

Ame smiled again, just as a few more drops of rain pelted down on the three.

Itachi was the one to look up this time. Sasuke followed suit, just as a drop hit him on the nose, and he scowled as Ame laughed. He pouted at her, which just made her laugh more. "Hmph." He crossed his arms and pouted more.

"We should probably get out of the rain, Okaa-san will kill us otherwise." Itachi said to Sasuke as he looked back down, a few stray rain drops having made splashes on his face. Sasuke looked up at him and tugged on his hand again.

"Aniki! What about Ame-chan? She doesn't know where she is, remember?! We should bring her with us!" He whined, swaying back and forth as he did so.

Itachi rolled his eyes, and Ame just smiled at him.

"It's fine. I'm sure I'll b-"

The older interrupted her with a wave of his hand. "No, he's right. We would be in even more trouble if our mother finds out we didn't bring you back with us."

Ame blinked at him, shrugging apologetically as she laughed nervously. She rubbed the back of her head. "Can I at least go get my Hitai-ate? I dropped it back there." She pointed to the shore of the small lake, the seemingly perpetual smile gone.

Itachi nodded and she ran back over to where the two found her, kneeling down and looking for the shiny metal of the forehead protector. She came back up slowly with the afore mentioned ninja item in hand, beginning to tie it to her head and then pulled it down so it hung loosely around her neck.

_Uchiha Quarters_

Ame gaped. "Nice house!"

Itachi rolled his eyes at the girl again, wondering how long this strange girl was going to be like this. Sasuke grabbed the older girls hand and began pulling her into the home, stopping only so they could take off their muddy shoes.

They stopped again as they apparently made it to the kitchen, and Ame noticed someone standing with their back to the two of them.

"Welcome home, Sasuke-san, Itachi-kun."

The woman turned around and stopped, looking at the new addition. She looked at her son for an answer, and he just smiled at her.

He tugged on Ame's hand the way he had Itachi's, pulling her forward towards his mother.

"Hi, Okaa-san!"

Both females blinked at his lack of introduction.

"Er... I'm Ame, Itachi-san pointed out that you would probably kill him if you found out they left me out there while it was raining..." Ame laughed nervously and rubbed the back of her head with her free hand.

The older woman nodded, a smile making it's way to her lips as she looked the girl up and down. '_At least he's smart. It's not just looks and power._' She thought to herself as she stepped back a little and gave the two a gentle smile, right as Itachi walked in and looked at them with a raised brow, before walking away upstairs.

"I'm Uchiha Mikoto, Sasuke-san and Itachi-kun's mother. I was just making dinner if you'd like to join us?" Mikoto invited, as she pointed over to a pot of Miso boiling on the stove top.

Ame smiled gratefully as she nodded, allowing Sasuke to pull her away as he walking into a separate room. Mikoto looked after them with the smile still in place, a vision stirring in her mind as she looked to the stairs, where her eldest son had disappeared to. '_Hmm... time to play matchmaker, eh?_' She laughed internally as she turned back to the stove, watching over the few cooking vessels covering it as her smile turned mischievous. '_This should be fun._'

_Later_

The four sat around the small table, an extra seat having been placed at it for the guest as three of them chatted. Fugaku finally joined them ten minutes after they had seated themselves, eyeing Ame suspiciously as he sat himself down.

"And who, may I ask, is this?" He nodded towards Ame, who gave a smile as she internally sweat dropped.

Mikoto's smile turned mischievous again as she turned to her husband, and the three minors could see a glint in her eyes. "Oh, this is Ame-chan. Itachi-kun's new girlfriend!" She said joyfully as Fugaku, Itachi and Ame choked on their respective drinks, a large blush spreading across Ame's cheeks.

"What?!?!" The two teens managed to choke out in unison as they looked at Mikoto with wide eyes. A feeling of dread seeping it's way into their stomachs as she smiled at them.

"See? You two are so cute together!" She clasped her hands and put them to the side of her head, leaning on them as Ame blinked rapidly.

"B-but-" Fugaku slowly closed his eyes and placed his cup on the table, his face turning serious as he gave a stern look to the girl, who shivered.

'_Dammit. I hate having to keep up this act..._'

"What are your abilities, Ame-san?" It was more a demand than anything else.

She gaped at him, thinking the man was crazy.

"If that is your real name, and if you are truly a Shinobi of Konohagakure." She stiffened as Mikoto glared at Fugaku, Sasuke was blinking in the background as he slowly ate his meal. Dinner and a show, gotta love family.

Ame's eyes hardened as she stared at the man, her mouth closing and her lips thinning. "What... exactly are you accusing...?"

His stern eyes met hers, as he raised his head snootily, and he began to say something before she interrupted him as she stood. "I would_**never**_betray my village. Not unless it meant my loved ones would _**die**_. I would kill myself before I did!"

They glared at each other. "I hate... people who betray their friends." She turned to Mikoto, Itachi and Sasuke, bowing to each of them before leaving the room, walking out of the large house as she did so.

Three of the four blinked as they stared after her, one thought going through the males' heads. 'He. Messed. Up.' Mikoto slowly turned to look at Fugaku, who snorted as the girl left. A glare finding it's way onto Mikoto usually kind features. She opened her mouth to say something, but instead shook her head as she sat back down, closing her eyes.

X

After the diner had ended, Fugaku had gone to his bedroom to meditate, leaving Mikoto to clean up. The brothers sat, confused by the teenage female mind set. They thought it consisted only of molesting them, as was brought upon by the many hoards of fan girls. (1)

Mikoto stopped picking up long enough to look at her unusually confused sons.

"Sasuke-san, how about you come help me clean up?" She asked with a smile, he just nodded slowly, standing from his spot and walking over to help her carry the dishes into the kitchen. She turned to Itachi, who blinked slowly, somehow unable to comprehend the female mind. "Itachi, maybe we should look for her after we're done cleaning...?" He was silent, standing from his spot as he walked to the small deck connected to the large home.

Mikoto stared after him as she picked up a cup, shaking her head at him as she walked into the kitchen. She smiled again as she saw Sasuke being attacked by overflowing soap bubbles, a look of panic on his face as they spilled onto the floor. (2)

'_Itachi still has a lot to learn about girls._' She thought sadly, as she rushed to help Sasuke.

X

_Some random tree_

Silver eyes stared at the sky, a sigh escaping the owners lips as she sat up, a disturbed look on her face. A vibrating came from her pocket and she reached into it, pulling a small rectangular object out and pressing the single button. A picture bleeped onto the screen, and a smile reached her lips.

"You make it, Aoi-neechan?"

Aoi shook her head amusedly, putting a hand to her head and laying back down in the branches. "Yep... But while I'm here, call me Ame. So if anyone over hears, they'll still think that's my name." She replied calmly, staring at the stars that had begun to come out of their day long hiding.

Naruto blinked as his vision turned from his 'sister' to the sky, he looked at his hands for a moment. "You've always liked the rain..." He craned his neck to try and see her face as she gave a small laugh, a gust of wind blowing her long bangs over her face.

A knock came from his door and he looked to it, scrambling to do something. "Erk! Gotta go, Ao- Ame-chan!" He grabbed the remote for the small screen and pressed a button as she gave another laugh, the screen going blank once again as he hid the remote back in his desk.

The knock became louder as he scrambled for a pen, attempting to look like he had been doing paperwork as he called for them to come in. Sakura poked her head in with a worried expression planted on her face as she stepped into the large circular office. Naruto gave a sigh of relief as he put a hand to his head.

"Did you tell her?" She asked as she stared at her former teammate, now Hokage, and she looked at the small screen he had forgotten to hide.

Naruto shook his head, opening his eyes and staring at his hands again as he scrunched his face up.

X

Ame blinked as she pocketed the small device again, laying on her arms as she fingered a piece of hair, a bored expression obvious in the darkness. '_I hope I _can_ stop it from happening..._' She closed her eyes again and sighed, drifting off into a light slumber.

However, it only lasted around twenty seconds, as Itachi had decided to make himself known and step onto a higher branch. She kept her eyes closed and her breath even as he stared at her, his suspicion of her growing larger as he thought of what he had heard coming from the small screen. He stepped forward lightly, his ninja skills making it so that the branch didn't move. He stopped as she spoke; "I know you're there, Itachi-san, I'm not actually asleep."

He stepped back as she pushed herself into a sitting position in front of him, a serious expression adorning her face as she cautiously looked at his eyes, which were free of the Sharingan... for the moment. She gave a sigh, placing a hand to her head and facing down as he fingered a kunai.

"I guess you're wondering now, aren't you?"

His eyes narrowed as she looked back up at him, a bitter smile lacing her features.

"Who I really am...?"

In an instant, he was behind her with the kunai to her throat as she blinked slowly.

"Exactly." He moved the kunai nearer to her throat as she gave a small chuckle, grabbing the blade of the kunai with her hand and pulling it away slightly as a small bit of blood ran down her wrist. His eyes narrowed more as she smiled kindly at him, not a hint of malice apparent in her eyes as he pulled the kunai back to its original spot, a small cut forming on her thumb. "What do you think people would say if they saw us like this...?" He glared as she tightened her grip on the tug-of-war kunai.

She stuck her tongue out a little, closing her eyes and turning into many small, blue flower petals. His kunai still had blood dripping on it, as he stared at the few petals that hung in the air, slowly finding their way to the trunk of the tree. He looked up, only to see that she was nowhere in front of him, and he looked behind him, seeing her sitting on a branch a few feet away, frowning as she looked at the stars again.

"The night sky is always so pretty and pure, like the rain... It just lets you think..." She looked back down at him from the slightly higher branch, seeing that he was getting ready to jump up after her, she raised the undamaged hand. "I'll tell you..."

He straightened, keeping the kunai's at hand in case she tried to attack. She shook her head as she stood and carefully walked over to him, making him tense ever so slightly. "I am Tsukiyo Aoi, I am a citizen of Konohagakure. Although..."

He continued to stare at her as she looked at her feet and smiled bitterly. "You may not believe me, but I'm actually from about... Oh, fourteen or so years into the future." He swung the kunai at her, she quickly ducked and jumped over him, landing on his other side.

"Sorry, but I don't believe you."

"Uchiha massacre to occur in about three months."

He blinked, pausing mid swing of his kunai to her stomach as she closed her silver eyes. "What...?" She stared at her feet. "Believe me now?"

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**Too... Much... Dialogue... --falls out of chair--**

**--whistles-- Wow, it definitely seems better with Akemi's changes. Sweet.**

**Short, I know. I couldn't think of anywhere better to leave off... **

**And, I suck at writing action scenes, so please, complain.**

**Sorry it seems rushed, but that's what comes from writing it in... Exactly one week...**

**1) Akemi-chan's note; LOL!**

**2) My note; --raoflao--**

**'I am the silence that brings your fear. **

**I am the moon, bringing eerie shadows to life.**

**I am the wind, circling the corner, coming for you,**

**I am the Akatsuki Neko. Bringer of death.'**

**Until next time... --disappears in swirl of white outlined red clouds--**

**_Next time;_**

"Is it okay if I call you Joe, so that I have something to address you by?**"**

This time, Joe did not escape the facefault, and effectively hit his head on the metal bars, somehow knocking himself out. She blinked a few times, mortified. "I'll take that as a 'no'..."


	3. Trusting a Cat

_**REWRITE, DAMMIT!!**_

**Everybody glomp Akemi! Quick!**

**Because I wasn't satisfied with my job on the second chapter, I'm rewriting it! --people throw Harry and David pears, most land in a basket and the others hit her in the head-- ... T.T**

**Feck, just read it... Please? **

**I don't own anything except my ideas and myself. --the Akatsuki give her strange looks again-- I'm not so sure about the second one, though... --grabs a pear and throws it at Hidan. It misses, of course--**

**FictionJunction YUUKA owns all rights to the song 'Silly-Go-Round', which is a terrific song that you should look up on You Tube. **

**Also, the word 'sweetasticalistic' is owned by Invasion of the Band Geeks, and is the compilation of three words; Sweet, fantastic, and ballistic. She has all rights to the word, and I'm bringing this to attention so that she doesn't think I'm stealing it, because she specifically told me not to. **

**Thanks to; AkemixHanako, and Invasion of the Band Geeks for reviewing the original of this chapter!**

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_**Rewritten; Dec. 30th, '07**_

_**Reposted; Feb. 6th, '08**_

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**Chapter two; Trusting a Cat**

Itachi stared, eyes wide, at Aoi. The idea of any of this being true was just... Just... Absurd! How could she say something like that?!

Unless... "You really are..." She nodded, staring at the kunai as he released it, letting it fall to the ground some sixteen feet below.

He just continued to stare as she stood there, looking at her feet as she squeezed her arm. "Hokage-sama will want to know..." She said as she averted her gaze to one of the few spots of blood that now inhabited the tree.

Itachi straightened after a moment, making his way out of the tree to retrieve the fallen kunai.

After he had put it in its rightful place, he looked back up to her and she nodded, jumping down next to him. She stumbled as she landed, not used to being in her 'new' body, and he caught her arm out of reflex.

He lead her silently to the Hokage tower, ignoring the few people still in the streets as they walked.

"It hasn't changed that much..." He looked back at her for a moment, figuring she meant the village hadn't changed much from how it was now. Although he somehow doubted that. He closed his eyes for a moment as they came to the doors leading into the Hokage tower, sighing.

'_Why did she seem so sad that she was sure of herself...?_' He shook his head as he realized he had been moving without knowing it, and they were now standing outside the Hokage's office, the brunet behind him gazing at him worriedly as the two ANBU guards straightened at the sight of him.

He waved his hand lazily, signaling for them to step aside as he pushed open the doors and walked into the large circular room. Aoi attempted to walk in after him, only to be stopped by the ANBU. She blinked as she was embarrassed to remember he probably had to tell the Sandaime what he had found out before she was allowed to enter.

She took a seat in one of the provided chairs, feeling the wary eyes of the ANBU on her as she looked around at the small, bleak room as she heaved a sigh. '_This... may take a little explaining..._'

X

Itachi stood, for once, rather awkwardly in front of the Sandaime, mulling over all the words she had said that he thought had any worth at this point while she was telling him the 'truth'.

And looked very uncomfortable as she did so.

The Sandaime blinked as the young Uchiha silently debated weather the girl could be trusted or not, and the old man cleared his throat to regain the distracted one's attention. "Somehow..." He began as he crinkled his eyes slightly, holding back a small, worried smile. "I don't think she's lying..."

Itachi moved to say something, but Sarutobi held a hand up, instantly silencing the younger male. "We have records of another 'Tsukiyo Aoi', and, if this girl is telling the truth of the time-line, than the one born here..." He let the smile out as he put the pieces together. "is of the correct age for this girl's story to be true, even if that isn't enough proof to keep her out of confinement for at least a week."

The young Uchiha blinked slowly as Sarutobi closed his eyes tiredly, rubbing his forehead as he pulled his pipe from a desk drawer.

"So..." Itachi began as he stared blankly at the Hokage. "What you're saying is you believe her, without any proof other than that...?" He asked slowly as the old man gave a tired smile once more, waving a hand as a signal to bring the girl in, and see what proof she really_did_ have.

Itachi heaved a long sigh before turning and walking out the large double doors, allowing the Hokage a small time to think and mull over how this young 'teenager' had gotten here if she was telling the truth.

_Sarutobi POV (1)_

I placed a hand to my chin thoughtfully, wondering what kind of advances Jutsu may have made in a fourteen year time period. This is something to look into, and I may have to ask this girl about it to see if we can get any of the more useful ones here sooner... Hm... I scratched my chin at that, just as the doors to my office opened, revealing Itachi and the Aoi girl.

I gave a smile to them, and she smiled back kindly as she lifted a hand in greeting. "Hello, Hokage-sama..." I noticed Itachi eye the girl warily, as if he was expecting her to do something when she lifted her hand. I just gave a small chuckle as she gave him a look of confusion.

After the girls explanation, which took around half an hour, I sent Itachi home, so as not to worry his mother... And to see if there was anything she didn't want to say while in the presence of an Uchiha. "Tsukiyo-san, was there anything... else?" I saw her tense, indicating I was right. She began fidgeting with her hands, her eyes avoiding my own.

"Well..." She began in a small voice, and I frowned as I remembered the Hyuuga girl, having all that stubborn determination without the confidence to use it to its full extent.

She continued to fidget, breaking off into her thoughts as I gave a slight nod for her to continue. "Yes?" She looked down, closing her eyes.

"My brother... the Rokudaime, he... his fiancé..." She broke off again, looking miserable as she gave a long sigh. I rose my eyebrows slightly, wondering why she would be so distraught over her brother's fiancé. I noticed her gaining a look of sorrow and closing her eyes. "He... was killed, just a few months before their wedding..."

He? Was she talking about her brother, or his fiancé? I pondered this for a moment, as she continued to wring her hands together. "So..." She looked up to me slightly. "One of them sent you back to stop it from happening. They sent you back fourteen years, to prevent something that could've been avoided, yet they did it without considering what could change in the time you're from?"

She winced. I guessed that I was either right on the mark, or I was no where near the truth of the matter.

_Normal POV_

Sarutobi folded his hands casually under his chin, thinking on the matter as Aoi debated about what to say. "Tsukiyo-san..." He prodded, attempting to get the teenager to speak up.

She closed her eyes again, looking to the side and opening them after another minute or two. "My brother is the one who sent me back... And yes, we did go over the possible consequences of these actions..." Her lips twitched upward into an awkward smile, and she turned to face the old Hokage. "Saru-oji-san."

Sarutobi, or 'Saru-oji-san', blinked at the recognized nickname. He smiled back at the young girl and stood, walking over to her as he pulled her into a grandfatherly hug. "You really are that little silver-eyed girl, aren't you?" She nodded, giving a large grin to him as he laughed heartily.

X

The two had talked about certain details of her mission, later having Sarutobi asking questions about what was to happen in the future, and who the Godaime Hokage was, seeing as he had already guessed who the Rokudaime was to be.

However, she had said that, even though he was the current Kage of the village, she had been specifically instructed to not say what exactly was to come until the 'incident', as most liked to call it.

And, as was required by the council, she was now sitting in a watching cell for exactly one week, to be... well... watched.

She also felt like being silly and humorously rude to whomever had the misfortune of getting the job.

Those who felt her intention felt sorry for the newbie. Very sorry. For they could tell that this strange little girl could be the true test of the newbies ability to not crack under the pressure usually accompanying ANBU missions.

As soon as she was in the medium sized cell, she plopped onto the dirt floor, paying no heed to the bent and broken bed that had springs and pieces of fluff coming out of it in quite a few places. She noticed the two ANBU who had escorted her were now standing guard, and she gained a grin as she remembered protocols of this small place.

"So..." She began, seeing no recognition to the fact she had spoken in the two's body language. "Newbies guarding me? This should be... interesting." One of the two closed their eyes behind their mask, as the other kept themselves from flinching at the memory of when they were stationed in the underground maze.

The one who had closed their eyes glanced in the direction of the stairs, hearing the distinct sound of fast footsteps approaching them as they turned to face whoever it was. They held a sigh as the newbie ran down, mask half on as they continued to tie it around their unruly black hair.

After successfully getting the mask in the right position, the new one bowed to their superior, arms stiff at their sides. "Gomen, I have no excuse as to why I am late..." The older of the two just stared blankly at them, nodding to the other as the two walked past the younger.

The new one, who had a mask slightly resembling a dog, kept their bow as the two walked walked past, one of them stopping and looking at him. "As long as you're not making up stupid excuses, like Kakashi-san." They walked off after the other as the new one stared confusedly at the ground for a moment, slowly looking up and to the right, seeing Aoi staring at him with a raised brow.

He straightened, walking over to the bars of the cell and taking up his position, wondering why he had a bad feeling all of a sudden. He turned after a moment as he sensed a mischievous aura, seeing Aoi grinning at him. "Newbie, eh?" He turned his head, glad for the mask that hid an expression of slight terror as the teen behind him laughed evilly.

X

After just a few hours, the ANBU newbie had actually gotten bored enough to throw one of the rules out the window; Never, under any circumstances, shall you 'chat' with the inmate you are guarding._Under any circumstances_.

He was also now out of any approved positions, and was sitting with his back to the bars as he stared at the ceiling blankly, willing himself to stop letting his mind wander to what they would talk about. After a moment, he really wanted to go and bang his head against the wall, as the accursed subject he was attempting to avoid came from the other instead of himself.

"Can I call you 'Joe'?" He managed to not fall over, but just barely, as the strange factor the girl had brought up he had not foreseen.

His eye twitched slightly. "Hell no." He blandly answered after several moments, finally wondering why he, of all people, was the one who had been assigned to this cell. For the love of Kami-sama, he was beginning to wonder if his brain would rot from the girl's idiocy!

"Too bad. I'm calling you Joe anyway." She grinned, and he sent her a very angry look, even though he knew she would never be able to see it.

'_Then why the fuck ask me?!_' He wanted to scream because of that, but settled for trying to ignore her once more.

And failing miserably, as she had just about dug out every ounce of patience he had by pulling out a deck of cards and laying them like a clock on the floor in front of her. This peaked his curiosity to exactly why she was carrying around playing cards, especially if nothing was special about them. He could tell that much just by seeing her lay them out on the filth that was ground.

"What in Hell's name are you doing...?" She looked up, flipping the top card in the center to reveal a nine, which was, instead of hearts, spades, diamonds or clubs, small blue flowers which he had never seen before.

She looked back down, seeing what he was staring at to be the card she had just turned and placed next to one of the piles. "Playing clock solitaire." He opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off, guessing his unasked question. "They aren't very special, but they're custom made. Different flowers for the diamonds and hearts, and different leafs for the clubs and spades..."

He saw what she meant by different leafs as she turned the top card in what he supposed was the 'nine' pile, revealing a single palmate leaf, which he guessed was an ace. "Sweetasticalistic cards." He earned a very odd and slightly scared look with that, and he noticed her sliding back a few inches. He grinned behind the mask, laughing in his head. "Oh come on, it wasn't that bad, was it?"

She smiled at him, laughing a little as she found yet another leaf, this one going next to the 'three' pile with small pinnate leafs being slightly visible to him. "Kinda." He rolled his eyes as she continued with her game, showing him the last of the four suits in this deck to be a sakura flower.

After the small conversation over the suits of the cards, 'Joe' took notice to the decoration for the back; one large tree with palmate leafs and sakura flowers, and around the bottom, small plants of pinnate leafs spreading around the trunk, entangled with the strange blue flowers.

He stared at the cards for a little while longer, rolling his eyes as the two stopped any conversation.

X

It was official... This girl was crazy. Little mister 'Joe' had barely been able to put up with her, as the week passed by more slowly than it should have.

He could have sworn it was Tuesday twice... And it was Thursday when the job began...

Aoi was now poking him in the back as he stared angrily at the wall on the other side, his eye twitching. He had had enough. He quickly turned around, glaring through the mask once more. "What?!"

She just blinked, ignoring his snapping at her and slowly bringing her hand down. "Your Taichou is here..." She pointed to a slightly irritated figure, also wearing a mask, standing a few feet to the right of where Joe sat.

He immediately sprung to his feet, arms stiff at his sides once more as beads of sweat formed. "Gomen, Taichou-san!" He bowed apologetically as he felt the glare he was receiving from his superior, trying his best to not show his nervousness, as he would need to do exactly the same on any missions he was sent on.

They nodded for Joe to leave, and he quickly did so, as to not receive more of his Taichou's wrath than he would for ignoring him in the first place. The higher ranking nin then turned towards the prisoner, staring through their mask to the brunette.

Aoi blinked, grinning in her mind. '_Yatta! It's been a week already!_' She smiled at the newcomer, who was obviously there to retrieve her for the Hokage.

"You will come with me, Tsukiyo-san." They stated in a voice that pointed towards them being a younger male, and pulled the seal off of the previously double locked cell door.

She nodded, standing from her position and stretching slightly before walking out, twirling on her heel as she followed him out of the underground maze slowly.

She spun a few more times before they reached the stairs, earning odd stares from a few of the guards that were stationed at different cells, each placed around five or more feet apart. "You are overly energetic..." The ANBU said as they took a small glance back in her general direction, raising a brow as they ascended the long flight of steps.

"Meh." They sweat dropped as they entered into a nice sized room, and the brunet guessed that it was meant as a resting room for the few who were down there with the numerous prisoners. She closed her eyes for a moment, remembering one of her favorite songs for some reason as they passed through, walking into the sunlight after a few moments as a small tear ran down her cheek.

X

Once again, the young brunette stood in front of the Sandaime Hokage in her 'new' body, a frown placed firmly upon her face as Sarutobi talked with the ANBU who had escorted her to the tower.

She looked around the office for something to take her mind off of the song, unable to hear what the two were talking about. Finding nothing, she sighed, closing her eyes once more and singing the lyrics to the song silently...

Or so she thought.

"Yume kara samete mo... Kono te wo nobasu yo..." The two on the other side of the room stopped and looked at her, raising their brows slightly as they noticed her begin dancing slightly to the silent music.

They sweat dropped as she mouthed the rest of the lyrics, continuing to dance as they turned back to the task at hand. "So, we're just awaiting Inu-san now..." The masked-nin nodded slightly, attempting not to twitch in annoyance as the doors burst open to reveal a young, black haired boy around the age of thirteen, panting heavily and holding a small stack of papers.

The boy stood straight, trying to look professional- and failing- as he continued to pant, walking over to the Hokage and handing him the papers. "H-Hokage-sama! I'm very sorry I'm late, but I didn't have much time to compose my repor- ... Why is she here...?" He backed away from the confused brunette as he spotted her, getting an unnoticed glare from the slightly taller masked one.

Sarutobi shook his head, a small smile visible as he took the papers handed to him, looking them up and down for a few moments. He sighed and looked back up at the three gathered in the room, waving his hand to signal for the youngest to come forward. "So, it seems you did nothing but play cards?" He asked, smiling amusedly.

Sweat drops filled the room after the question, and Aoi twitched slightly, looking over to the new addition and grinning. "Hi, Joe!" This comment made Sarutobi laugh openly, the still masked ANBU nearly forgotten as he shook his head and walked over to the door.

"Hakushi-san, where exactly are you going...?" They looked back at the Hokage, barely touching the handle as they straightened.

Hakushi took his hand off of the knob, looking right at the Hokage from behind his mask. "I have to ensure none of the prisoners are causing havoc, Hokage-sama. Please excuse me." With that, he took a bow and left the room, footsteps echoing through the hall.

The two teens blinked confusedly, staring after him as Sarutobi sighed, pulling his hat down slightly. "Yes, well, I have to talk to the two of you anyway." They blinked again, looking to each other and back to the old Hokage. "Tsukiyo-san, I've heard from Itachi-san that you had a small screen that you were talking into on your person?"

Inu-Joe looked confused as Aoi blinked, reaching into her pocket and producing the screen she had used last week. She showed it to Sarutobi, a questioning expression written plainly on her face as she pushed the single button.

After a moment, the image of a spiky haired blond popped onto the screen, paper flying everywhere -in a very familiar room- as he attempting to catch it. "Ah! Come back here, you damned paperwork! I have to finish you so I can go to Ichiraku's!"

The males blinked, just staring at the crazy blond on the screen as he continued to go after the rogue paper. The blond slumped into a chair, one of the papers floating onto his head. Sarutobi snapped out of his confusion for a moment, eyes wide. "Minato?" The blond looked up again, staring at him blankly.

Thus allowing the two to see whisker marks on his face, and Inu-Joe flinched back, wincing as he realized what he had just done. The blond smiled as he noted the old man, blue eyes gleaming happily in the sunlight. "Oji-san! Ne ne, it's Naruto, not Minato..." Naruto then placed a hand to his chin, seemingly thinking of something. "Or were you thinking I was 'Tou-San?"

Naruto grinned at their dumbfounded expressions, hearing his sisters giggle from behind wherever the screen was being held.

Sarutobi leaned back in his chair, pulling his hat down further. "Kami-sama, he's actually done it..." Could be heard by the teens, Inu-Joe laughing nervously as he rubbed at the back of his head.

"Oi, oi. Aoi-nee-chan, what did you call for?" Naruto asked, already knowing she was behind the screen because she would never let anyone else have it.

She snorted jokingly, rolling her eyes with a smile as Sarutobi continued to mull over things in his mind and Inu-Joe backed into a corner for reasons unknown. "It's obvious they needed more proof to the fact that I'm not from 'here', Naru-chan." Naruto twitched at the nickname, glaring slightly as she poked her face into the frame with a grin of her own.

She laughed again, waving quickly. "We'll let you get back to the paperwork." He grumbled slightly, but smiled nonetheless, waving back as the screen went blank again. Aoi then turned back to Sarutobi, who was rubbing his eyes. "I thought you had guessed who it was..." Sarutobi smiled, taking his hand from his eyes and glancing over to Inu-Joe quickly.

"Yes, but it's much different to actually see it..." He gained a serious face, and the door to the room opened once more, revealing an irritated Itachi with what looked like a squirrel attached to his foot.

Itachi walked into the office, attempting to shake the squirrel off the entire way to the desk, as he twitched, raising a brow at the boy in the corner, nodding to Sarutobi. "Well, now that all three of you are here..." The Sandaime began, looking at them all and attempting to get Inu-Joe to come back to the desk. "I can tell you what the Council has suggested..."

X

_Ten minutes later_

"WHAT?!" Chorused through the originally calm evening, scaring a few birds out of their homes as some dogs ran farther from the Hokage Tower.

Inu-Joe twitched as he stared, befuddled. "You can't be serious! I'm an_ANBU_ for Kami-sama's sake!" This got him a rap on the head from Itachi, who was even more irritated now that he had heard of the Council's idea of 'watching' the newcomer.

Although, on the inside, he completely agreed. They wanted them to form a Genin team with her, even though they were of one of the higher ranks! What's gotten into their minds?! They were snapped out of their angry musings as Sarutobi cleared his throat loudly, gaining their attention back almost immediately.

"It is not of my choice what the Council decides, Inu-san. You three will have to function as a Genin team until they decide that they trust her..." He growled in his mind. '_Which will probably never happen... Unfortunately._' Inu-Joe groaned, placing his head in his hands as the two next to him sighed. "And besides that, Tsukiyo-san and Inu-san need new names..."

All three of them blinked in unison, Aoi cocking her head to the side questioningly. "Nani?" Sarutobi chuckled in response, shaking his head slightly as the new 'Genin' team seemed to already be bonding a little.

"There cannot be two Tsukiyo Aoi's at one time, and Inu is only a name to use while he is wearing the mask." He chuckled at her deflated look as Inu-Joe looked between the two, a hand on his head once more. "May I ask what your desired names are?"

"Uzumaki Ame." Was an instant answer, and the three males looked to the frowning brunette, who had her arms crossed as she looked at the floor. "And may I have guardianship of Uzumaki Naruto, so as to make sure the villagers don't harm him as they did?" Sarutobi smiled at that, nodding his head as he noted to ask if the blond had told her.

Inu-Joe had to think for a few minutes before he came up with his name, which he said he still wasn't all that pleased with. "Toshiro Shimaru...?" Ame had to suppress a grin at that, thinking of all the misconceptions that were sure to follow.

Sarutobi smiled at the new team, nodding his head as his eyes crinkled. "Ah, yes. The White Death, I do believe that was your mother's nickname for your father (2), am I correct?" Shimaru smiled wearily, nodding back. Sarutobi laughed once more, waving them out of the room. "Now then, you three may want to do some team bonding, just to make sure you don't accidentally kill each other."

Shimaru and Ame paled slightly at the thought of doing so, and turned to the other with nervous faces before smiling and grabbing Itachi's arms, dragging him out with them.

"Ame-san, there was something I needed to ask you alone before you three left, if you please." She stopped, slowly letting go of Itachi's arm as he twitched, walking out of the room in front of Shimaru.

After the other two had left, Ame stood alone in front of the old Hokage, fiddling with her fingers behind her back. "Hai, Hokage-sama?" She asked nervously, wondering what it was that was so important that she could be the only one to hear of it.

He sighed, lighting his pipe as a bird twittered outside. "Has Naruto-kun informed you that he isn't all that he seems...?" He asked slowly, getting a confused look in return as she blinked.

"Well, I was fairly aware of the Bijuu, if that's what you me-"

"No, that is not what I meant, Uzumaki-san." He cut off, putting a hand to his forehead once more. "I mean, has he informed you that he isn't actually... a 'he'?" Ame just shook her head, not understanding what he meant. "That your 'brother', Uzumaki Naruto, is not actually male?"

A look of realization formed on her face as she kept herself from face-faulting. "E... Eh?!"

* * *

**HOLY SHIT! I'm so, so, so, soooo sorry it took me so long to write this stupid thing!**

**Feel free to throw objects at me... --bows head--**

**And sorry about the whole 'card conversation', I thought it fit... And they needed something to do, so...**

**How Naruto will be addressed;**

**When Naruto is in the henge to look and sound like a male, she will be referred to as 'he', unless speaking to the ones who know that she is not, in fact, male. The only time this does not apply is when the are in a public place where they could be overheard.**

**When she is not in the henge, she will always be referred to as she.**

**1) I cannot normally write Sarutobi very well, so that was kind of a challenge for me that I did because you never see 'Sarutobi POV' anywhere.**

**2) It is a **_**bad nickname**_**. She called him that because he tried to make a white cake from scratch, got the salt mixed up with the sugar and it tasted like death... So yeah.**

**Um, also, can anyone make me a fanart... maybe? Please? --Puss in Boots eyes-- Pretty please with fudge on top??**

**Also, there's a poll in my profile for this, so please check it out.**

**Thanks to all my reviewers;**

_**man-chan**_

_**AkemixHanako, for both reviewing and being the great beta**_

_**quicksilv; Sorry it's so confusing! . **_

_**Invasion of the Band Geeks**_

**"I am the Silence, creating your fear.**

**I am the Moon, bringing eerie shadows to life.**

**I am the Wind, circling the corner, coming for you.**

**I am the Akatsuki Neko. Bringer of Death."**

**See you all next time! --chair is stolen from her by Itachi-- Oh, fuck you, Uchiha!**


	4. The Beginnings of Horror

**Sorry for the wait everyone, my attention span was dead 'cause I was sick again. -.-' And 'X' by itself means a scene change, in case that's a little confusing for anyone.**

**Say thanks to Akemi-chan again! XD **

**Oh, and 'Dark Neko'. What game do you think I was playing? :) It made me crack up when I read it.**

**Do you expect me to own Naruto? Do you expect the copyright papers to magically appear in my hands? If you don't, then you're absolutely right. -.-'**

**--**

_**True strength is keeping everything together when everyone expects you to fall apart.**_

_**- unknown**_

**--**

**Chapter three; The Beginnings of Horror**

A seven year old Naruto sat at his desk, his head resting on folded arms as Iruka lectured the rest of the class. He had a basic idea of what Iruka was talking about, he was just fairly sure it was something about henge, which he had already _had_ to master.

Yes, little Naru-chan had already mastered the henge. Hadn't you ever wondered how he had created a jutsu such as the disgusting orioke no jutsu? He moved his head so that he was staring straight at the desk, having no vision of the class around him.

"NARUTO!" He bolted upright with a yell, spotting a very angry chunnin glaring at him from next to the desk. Most of the class laughed at the blonde, the exception being the young Hyuga sitting next to him. Iruka glared suspiciously at Naruto for a few moments before asking him simply; "What was I just saying?"

Naruto blinked and scratched the back of his neck, laughing nervously. "Uh, you were saying something about, uh... how the henge can be dispelled... if the enemy forces enough pure chakra towards you, without it being in the form of a jutsu...?" He asked back nervously, shrinking back towards a blushing Hinata as Iruka narrowed his eyes slightly, before smiling.

"Right." The laughter ceased as many heads turned toward him, slight anger showing on a few.

"Naruto, you baka! You were asleep and you know it!" Yelled a little pink haired girl accusingly, pointing a finger at the blonde as she glared. He crossed his arms on the desk and ignored her as Iruka sweat dropped, patting him on the head lightly before walking around the class once more.

X

Shimaru stared blankly at Itachi, who was leaning on the wall as they awaited their new 'teammate'. He had gotten so very few of the precious facts he needed to survive that week, but the ones he had gotten were the pretty damned important ones. Such as her not being from this time. This fact, however, scared him a small bit. Were there jutsu that allowed oneself to travel through the different timelines? If so, how did they work? How long did they take to master? Or were they only for those of higher level than ANBU newbie? These were the kinds of things he pondered in his free time.

Itachi stared at him with a raised brow, his teammates facial expressions were changing quite comically at this moment, and he wondered if he should snap him out of it or not. He decided against it, as he knew very well that they were both pondering things they found held at least slight importance.

He, however, was pondering slightly different things. Such as, why didn't the Kyuubi brat send someone else? Who was it that had died? Did he become the head of the Uchiha clan? Or did Sasuke? Why did his parents name him weasel...? Okay, so that one had little to no importance whatsoever, but he thought about it a lot when he had the chance!

Neither knew the answer to any of their questions, and they would never be able to go their separate ways without getting them. The Council would never allow it without gaining the answers to their own questions first, and none of them knew what those were, which made things increasingly difficult on their part.

Itachi paled suddenly, thinking of one more thing that would have him stuck cleaning the bathroom for weeks. How was he going to explain this to his father...? He put his head in his hands, groaning. Oh yes, this was the _perfect_ little assignment for him. The pride of his clan, demoted from ANBU captain to genin for one measly little mission that only the Council truly cared about. This was going to be _oh_ so fun...

Shimaru looked over to him confusedly, cocking his head to the side as he pulled a candy bar out of his pocket, beginning to nibble on it as he stared blankly at the higher ranking nin. He rolled his eyes as he wondered about his siblings, and what they where doing in the 'future'... If they were all still alive by then. You never knew when Death was going to knock on your door, especially if you're a shinobi.

_This_, was what he actually pondered the most in his free time; was he going to go on a mission and not come back? Was one of his siblings going to be the one to not come back? Or would they come back, but the ones who had been left behind; would they have been attacked in a war? Were the prestigious clans still alive and kicking?

... Were any of the people they knew still alive at all...?

X

Hinata blinked as she stared at the grinning boy in front of her, a blush creeping onto her cheeks as she looked to his outstretched hand. "U-um... Outo-sama said that I had to come home right after class, s-so ..." She gave a quick bow, running off in the direction of her home as the blonde's face fell slightly. "Gomen!" She called back.

The little blond looked after her with sad eyes, unable to understand why nobody would play with him after school. "B-but... Hina-chan... I wanted to play..." He sighed and looked to his feet, beginning to trudge his way through the grass and towards the ramen bar.

He looked over at a few other children, watching them run off to play with others or running up to their parents, who greeted them with a smile. That is, until they noticed him, and scowled or glared. He could have sworn the

temperature had dropped a few degrees when they looked at him with those hating eyes...

He whipped his head around, just as a parent sent a particularly cold glare and threw a piece of trash at him as they passed. He narrowed his eyes and curled his lip up, just enough to show his canines. '_Why do all the adults hate me?! I never did anything before the pranks, and those are harmless!_' He growled slightly under his breath, looking at the ground as he ignored all the disgusted looks that were being given to him.

'_They just hate me for something I didn't do..._' He thought angrily, clenching his small fists. '_They hate me because I'm something to take their anger out on... Because I was born on the day that _stupid_ fox attacked..._'

x

_?? POV _

I chuckled as I watched the little blonde walk away, my eyes narrowing in glee as he- no, _she-_ sighed and dodged a piece of trash thrown. I suppose Orochimaru-sama was right in thinking they would use this jutsu, and I guess I was lucky to be chosen as the test subject for him...

Oh yes, I remember quite clearly now; it wasn't so clear in the first week or so, but now I remember that he had killed quite a few others in attempting this difficult transfer. My eyes narrowed further as the malice I felt towards him bubbled to the surface. I heaved a sigh and jumped off through the trees, following the little brat as I was told, thinking.

Wow, that little brat I was forced on a team with would scoff at that... At least I got to keep my age. I grinned to myself, pondering how I would kill them if we ever met. I laughed cruelly, silently.

As I should say; _when_ we met.

X

_Itachi POV _

I sighed as I put my head in my hands. These two... what did Io deserve them...? I twitched again as Shimaru threw another little sunflower seed at me,- where he got them, I shall never know- laughing as it hit my shoulder.

"What exactly to you find so amusing about hitting my shoulder with edible plant matter...?" I turned to glare at him, earning nothing but a blink in return as one more of the cursed seeds flew through the air, hitting my nose. I twitched.

Oh, I knew what he found amusing; it was the fact that I hadn't yet killed him for flinging them at me constantly, or at least severely injured him. This is why I wish it wasn't against the code of the Shinobi to maim your comrades, as it would relieve so much stress...

I turned swiftly as yet another was flung at my head, only to see the two staring at me with wide eyes, Ame looking slightly sheepish as she shrank back slightly. "Uh... oops?" I twitched again.

X

_Normal POV, 'future' _

Naruto blinked, staring at the slightly older blond in front of him. Ino rose a brow, cocking her head to the side. "Well? Where the Hell is she, eh?" Naruto blinked once more, confusion adorning his features as he continued staring at her.

"Uh..." He gained a sheepish expression, scratching at the back of his head. "I wasn't aware she was missing..." Ino's eye twitched, and she resisted the urge to yell at the Rokudaime. Instead, she opted to sigh and walk forward a few steps.

"Naruto..." He sat further back in his chair as she cracked her knuckles. Mad Ino, bad. Mad Ino protecting her loved ones, very bad. Mad Ino protecting her loved ones while _pregnant_, very, very, _very_ bad. "_Where_, is my puppy?" He lifted his hands in front of his face, defending it from any blows she may give to him.

"How should I know?! It was Kiba's job to watch her, not mine!" His eyes closed playfully as he stuck his tongue out, smiling slightly as she giggled. This was a common play out between the two of them, and the odd dialogue was chosen at random. All in all, it happened whenever one of them was bored.

She shook her head, smiling at him as she brushed the bangs behind her ear. "Sorry to bother you, I know how busy you are, Naruto." He waved off the apology, smiling back at her as he picked up one of the pieces of paper off the top of the small stack.

As he began reading over the document, Ino standing over by the window and staring happily at the village below, the door banged open, and both their heads turned quickly to look at the battered and bruised jounin. "Hokage-sama... One of them escaped..." He gasped out, leaning heavily on the door frame for support as another Shinobi ran up behind him, looking worried. Naruto's eyes widened, and he immediately looked over to the worried chunin.

"Tell the ANBU to search the village, send out a new squad every few hours to relieve the previous one. I want them found before they can cause any more harm to the village and our Shinobi." The chunin nodded determinedly, and turned to retrieve the ANBU, but was stopped when Naruto called them back. "And have the medic-nins sent over for him, please." They nodded once more before bolting down the hall and out of sight as Ino and Naruto helped the hurt Shinobi to one of the few chairs placed in the room.

"Kontan-san, what happened exactly?" Ino asked as soon as they had set him down, already having a fairly good guessing of the scuffle that had taken place between the jounin and captive. She heard Naruto take in a sharp breath behind her as Kontan winced, one of his wounds still bleeding as he weakly reached an arm to clutch at the other. She sighed, standing straight once more and sending a worried look over to the Hokage, who was staring at his feet.

Naruto clenched his fists, glaring hard at the floor. "It... was _him_ that escaped... wasn't it...?"

X

_And back _

An ominous wind swept across the land, and a lone Shinobi stopped in her tracks, staring to the west. Her eyes narrowed before she continued on her way, hands in the pockets of her long trench coat, a few passerby stopping to stare at her as they did their shopping.

She grinned wickedly after a few moments, and she cackled delightedly, startling a shop owner as she passed. "This..." She started, putting her head back to look at the sky, which was just beginning to darken slightly. "Will be very, _very_ fun."

X

Itachi stared blankly at the sky as a crow flew by, and grunted as Shimaru waved a hand in his face. Had he gone into a daze that quickly, or was the boy just doing that to annoy him? He looked back to the other two lazily, putting a hand up in a silent goodbye as he began stalking off towards his home. The others returned the wave before separating themselves.

'_This is going to make life complicated..._' Was a single thought on all of their minds as the sky darkened to a dark purple twenty minutes later, a few more birds flying overhead as a smile crept onto the lone girl's face. She

sighed, skipping a few steps and twirling.

Shimaru blinked and looked over at a dog as it barked, a squirrel staring at it from the roof of a building as the large dog tried to climb up the corner. He shook his head, running a hand through his hair as the squirrel ran from his sight, scampering up a nearby tree.

"Nii-san! Nii-san! I got really good marks at the academy!" Itachi smiled lopsidedly at Sasuke as the younger ran up, tugging at his hand. He brought a hand down and poked his brother's forehead in greeting, causing the other to pout at him. "Why do you do that?" Sasuke asked as he rubbed at the spot, still pouting as Itachi scooped him into his arms and began walking once more.

"Because I feel like it."

X

"Tadaima..." (1) Naruto called out as he opened the door to his lonely little apartment, kicking off his shoes as he stepped onto the wood floor, ignoring the many empty ramen cups. He looked up as he heard a shuffling, and his eyes widened as he fell back, scuffling closer to the now closed door. "What?!"

X

Yellow eyes gleamed maliciously in what little light there was, and they narrowed slightly as they looked down at the bowing form in front of them. "Ah, Uchiha-san, I see you're finally here..." They called out, and the figure flinched ever so slightly at their voice.

"Hai, Orochimaru-sama."

--

**--deep breath-- I'm so sorry it took so long to write, and that it's so short and please throw rocks at me now! DX There is a poll in my profile concerning this story, so... yeah.**

**1) Tadaima- I'm home**

**No, Kontan is **_**not **_**going to be sticking around. The only reason I gave him a name at all was so I could stop saying 'the jounin' or shit like that. **

**I've already started on the next chapter, (no surprise there) but I'm not sure how long it's going to take... ;.;**

**"I am Tiny, and at your feet.**

**I can be seen by Child, but not adult.**

**I fear house pets, and love the wind.**

**I am a Minish! My name is Neko!"**

**Please review! DX**


	5. A Small Question

**Hello everybody. How have you all been doing since I became lazy and stopped writing this? Eh... please don't yell, though. *sheepish smile***

**Now then, onto business:**

**This story is going to be completely rewritten, so as to include 'Ame' as little as possible.**

**If I can do it, she won't appear at all. **

**Now then, since the rewritten one will be posted as a new story, I would like everybody's opinion on the matter at hand; to delete, or not to delete?**

**In other words, should I keep this story up so that all of you, and others who may stumble upon it, may compare the two? Or should I take it down, and simply leave it at that?**

**Why don't I just replace the chapters, you may ask? Because, it only allows each IP address to review once per chapter, and there may be things that those of you who've already reviewed certain chapters would want to comment on. **

**Despite what some people may think, not all writers on this site react horribly to constructive criticism. Although, I can't guarantee that I'll be very good at following whatever advice you may want to give. :)**

**Before I go, though; so as to comply with site rules, there will be a short story posted along with this. It won't have anything to do with the plot of this story, though...**

**As you all know, I don't own Naruto. **

**----**

Birds chirped in the cool, early morning air, flying through the air in their dance. On this particular morning, however, an alarm beeped almost annoyingly at its owner as they groaned, shifting under their nice, warm blankets.

A single, ocean colored eye appeared from under the blankets, glaring at the offending piece of technology before slamming their hand on the 'off' button. Groaning again, Naruto rolled onto his back, pinning the blankets beneath him as he stared at the ceiling, a hand on his face.

He continued to lay there for what felt like only a second, but in fact was half an hour, before sliding out of the bed and grabbing his shirt, wandering into his bathroom for a quick shower.

An hour later, he had arrived at the small, albeit expensive, shop Sasuke had pointed out to him the week before, staring into the window as he patiently waited the five minutes until they were to open.

Biting his lip, he watched as a single person within the shop wandered around it, checking to make sure everything was still in order. He grinned brightly as they finally unlocked the door, only to wander back behind the counter to await the costumers who were bound to come in.

Naruto quickly walked in, the bell atop the door jingling merrily as he walked past the threshold, browsing the hundreds of little trinkets on the shelves and in the cases. The employee watched him silently, likely bored out of their mind already as they toyed with their hands.

Wandering towards the back, Naruto picked up a medium sized fabergé egg (1), which held an intricate raven design made out of onyx, and smiled to himself. Looking for the price tag, he winced before carefully placing the egg back on the shelf and wandering over to another section of the store.

This went on for another hour, before the blond sighed and began to walk towards the door. "Eh, excuse me, sir?" He looked over at the employee, who had cocked her head to the side curiously. "What is it that you're looking for? Maybe I can help you find it?" The young girl asked, smiling slightly at him.

Giving a sheepish look, Naruto quietly walked over to her, telling quickly what he was looking for and the highest price he could pay for it. She had given him an incredulous look, before pointing him over to a small shelf next to the counter with a nervous look.

He nodded, giving his thanks, before looking through the few things that littered the shelf. After only three minutes or so, he came up with a small box in his hands, smiling brightly as he payed for it.

As soon as he exited the shop, he had given an elated whoop and run off towards Ichiraku, before he headed back home.

X

He stared at the little box in front of him, head supported only by his fist as he contemplated how he was going to present the gift. Seeing as Valentine's was the next day, he didn't really have much time to think about it...

After staring at it for quite a few hours, in which time many facial expressions passed, he finally gave a heavy sigh around ten PM and headed to his bedroom, stretching.

It wasn't until July that he remembered he had bought it, and by that time, of course, the only viable option was to give the raven necklace as a birthday gift. He had grinned so much his cheeks hurt when Sasuke stared at him, the smallest hint of a blush on his pale features.

---

**This... actually goes with another story... One that's only been posted on deviantART.. This whole chapter will be deleted in a few days, just so you know..**

**1: I'm not sure if this is how it's actually spelled, since the Wikipedia entry on fabergé eggs only talks about the 'imperial' eggs, not the ones that you can sometimes find in oriental shops, etc.**


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